


i know it's just a number but you're the eighth wonder

by oldpapertowns



Series: chemical christmas 2020 [10]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Established Relationship, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, Post canon, Turtleduck Pond, chemical christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oldpapertowns/pseuds/oldpapertowns
Summary: It takes Sokka longer than it should to notice that Zuko rarely expresses his happiness and that when he does, it’s only for a fleeting moment. Even after Ozai’s been defeated and Zuko’s been crowned Fire Lord, Zuko rarely does more than smile for two seconds before immersing himself in his work again.Eventually Sokka gets sick of only seeing Zuko when he’s surrounded by sheaves of paper and what seems like permanent ink stains on his fingers, so he stages an intervention.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: chemical christmas 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036416
Comments: 2
Kudos: 113





	i know it's just a number but you're the eighth wonder

**Author's Note:**

> day 10 of chemical christmas - grin! prompt list by @saintmichale_ on instagram
> 
> i should probably study for finals but instead i’m working on this in my breakout room
> 
> title from ‘wilson (expensive mistakes)’ by fall out boy

It takes Sokka longer than it should to notice that Zuko rarely expresses his happiness and that when he does, it’s only for a fleeting moment. Even after Ozai’s been defeated and Zuko’s been crowned Fire Lord, Zuko rarely does more than smile for two seconds before immersing himself in his work again.

Eventually Sokka gets sick of only seeing Zuko when he’s surrounded by sheaves of paper and what seems like permanent ink stains on his fingers, so he stages an intervention.

“Babe!” Sokka slams open the door to Zuko’s study, the guards stationed outside completely used to his bullshit.

Zuko jolts upright in his chair, ink on his face and dark purple bags under his eyes. “Sokka? What-”

Sokka grabs Zuko’s wrist and pulls him out of the chair to a standing position. “You are going to stop working.”

“What?!” Zuko snatches his wrist out of Sokka’s grasp. “No I’m not! I have so many things to look over, and-”

Undeterred, Sokka drops to his knees and grabs Zuko’s hips, pinning him against the desk. “Just a few minutes, baby. Please?” He looks up through his eyelashes.

Zuko swallows audibly, throat bobbing up and down as he stares down at Sokka with a blush high on his cheeks. “Agni, I- fine. Fine.”

“Yes!” Sokka whoops and picks Zuko up, heaving him up over his shoulder and legging it towards the door.

“Wh- Sokka- What- Put me down!” Zuko splutters, his legs kicking.

“Sorry, your Majesty.” Sokka grins as he exits the study, the guards leaving their posts to tag along without even a single raised eyebrow. “We’re going to the pond, lay down, and  _ relax. _ You haven’t done that for the past eight days, which is seven days too many.”

They get to the pond without anybody seeing them somehow, and Sokka leans forward to carefully deposit Zuko on the ground. Zuko glares up at Sokka, his hair falling to his waist as he takes out his topknot to redo it after glancing around to make sure that nobody else is there.

“Don’t do that again.”

“I won’t do that if you don’t keep overworking yourself.” Sokka sits down on the grass and pats his lap. “Lay down.”

Zuko does so after a slight pause, body tense.

That won’t do.

Sokka holds his hands by Zuko’s head, asking a silent question. Zuko’s eyes flick up to Sokka’s as he nods.

Permission granted, Sokka carefully runs his fingers through Zuko’s hair until they’re at his temple, then starts kneading.

The tension melts out of Zuko like snow next to a fire, and his eyes start falling shut. Sokka smiles down softly at Zuko, glad to see him no longer wound as tight. The calm and quiet atmosphere and the warm breeze slowly starts getting to him as well, and his eyes fall shut with the smile still on his face.

Sokka wakes up to find the position switched - Zuko’s sitting up this time, Sokka’s head on his lap.

“Whubuh?” Sokka asks intelligently.

Zuko glances down from where he’d been watching the turtleducks, an affectionate smile on his face. He looks more refreshed, though the bags under his eyes still aren’t gone. “Welcome back to the waking world.”

His smile doesn’t disappear as quickly as the other ones always do - in fact, it doesn’t disappear at all, so Sokka just stares with what must be an incredibly enamored look on his face.

The smile on Zuko’s face turns amused. “What?”

“Nothing,” replies Sokka, his expression not changing. “I love you.”

A grin spreads over Zuko’s face. “I love you too, you big nerd.”

“I know.” Sokka presses a kiss to the back of Zuko’s hand, interlocks their fingers, and promptly falls back asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> the restraint needed to not write 'y yo a ti, sokka' was unreal


End file.
